Arla FarmAhead™ Technology aims to speed up climate action

Ambitious climate strategies are a must in the global dairy industry. At Arla Foods, the farmer owners are taking proactive steps to reduce GHG emissions. A broad focus on sustainability actions has cut emissions from their milk production by thriteen percent a kilo since 2015.

A data-driven toolbox for facilitating sustainability transitions on farm, FarmAhead™ Technology, is helping to accelerate progress towards the goal of a 30 percent reduction in GHG emissions in scope 3 by 2030, with 2015 as the baseline. For the farmers, it brings an opportunity to earn up to 2.4 eurocents more per kilo of milk, rising to 3 eurocents when the scheme is fully implemented.

Reducing farm emissions requires knowledge. The FarmAhead™ Check is a tool that collects data to understand farm emissions better, covering 99% of Arla’s milk pool. The farmer owners provide over 200 data points by answering questions, which are then verified by a third-party advisor and stored in a comprehensive dataset.

This offers valuable insights into dairy farming practices across seven Northern European countries, supporting the Arla farmer owners in their sustainability efforts and sharing learnings with industry stakeholders, policymakers and researchers. Submitting the FarmAhead™ Check is rewarded with an additional 1 EUR-cent/kg of milk.

Analysis of this huge dataset has revealed the ‘Big Five’, which are the primary levers of the FarmAhead™ Incentive’s point-based system. These are the main drivers of the differences between low and high-performing farms and represent the greatest opportunities to cut GHG emissions while increasing efficiency and profitability.

A broad focus on efficiency in their milk production has cut ghg emissions by 13% in scope 3 since 2015

For each action in these areas, farmers can score points that translate into an additional payment. The bigger the improvement potential for climate and nature, the more points can be collected. Categories include feed, fertiliser and protein efficiency, land use, animal robustness, manure handling, biodiversity, carbon farming, sustainable feed and renewable electricity

Although the FarmAhead™ Incentive is a voluntary scheme, most Arla farmers – representing 99 percent of the farmer-owned milk pool – have registered their data in the FarmAhead™ Check, which is a precondition for participation.